Body of War (2007)

First of all, no one laughs when someone suffers like this unless they happen to be evil or insane, I am neither. Now as to the claims made by this man, most if not all of his famous letter was either exaggerated or completely untrue. Yes, I know, I wasn't there. But other Veterans WERE and they paint quite a different picture than Tomas does. Tomas was injured, BADLY injured and the most horrific thing about this entire story is that the left wing lunatic fringe of this nation used his pain to further their hate of anything Conservative, GOP and of course, their hatred of the Bush administration. No matter if a person served in the military or not, it is very hard to prove to a thinking person that the war had ANYTHING at all to do with Cheney's greed, Bush's lies/greed or oil companies, since the facts CLEARLY show that none of them profited the way the left has claimed for all these years. The liberals will do anything to stay in political power, they will use anyone, even an injured,tortured individual like Tomas Young. If anyone truly cared for him they would have never used his pain for political gain, which they did, YES, they did. I generally have nothing negative to say about a veteran, but I cannot stay silent, Tomas Young was wrong. No matter how brave, no matter the level of his suffering, it doesn't make it right to protest the war when many of his fellow Veterans were in harms way, doing their job and suffering every bit as much as him and some even more. Many never came home like he did. This is sick. A bunch of liberals profiting from a Veterans pain, how's THAT for an accusation of profiteering ?

I expected to be depressed when I was finished watching this film but I had hoped there would be some inspiration within it. There is none. The filmmakers could not put something there that does not exist.These are the people who do the work in this country, and who volunteer to protect it. They have been betrayed. We all have. Our love for each other and our vote are all we seem to have left. This film tells us not to waste either of these things.I would like to tell the family portrayed in this film that I am glad I have gotten to feel a little of their pain. I can't offer help, and I don't imagine my sympathy helps much if at all. I've become involved in a documentary myself. It's called "Fuel". I'm credited as "assistant to the director". The film speaks out against war, greed, and corporate welfare. I hope it can help a little in making our country more independent, and maybe a little less likely to go to war again. I give my thanks to the makers of "Body of War". I hope many people watch it. I don't think it will change minds, but it's important to know the hurt caused by war.

If you've admired the wave of well produced (and documented)films dealing with Bush's war in Iraq, then by all means don't think twice, and check out 'Body Of War'. The film focuses on a returning Iraq war veteran who had been wounded in the first few days of being deployed (when he thought he was going to Afghanastan to "get back" at Osama Bin Laden for 9/11/01, only to be duped by his own government)to Iraq. What follows is a combination of footage dealing with Senator Robert Byrd,as well as others trying to talk congress out of voting for the bill of war (out of 100 votes,only 23 voted no,which are listed at film's end,along with the 77 traitors who did vote yes). The rest of the film concerns Tomas Young trying to deal with the physical & mental pain he must deal with on a daily basis. ADVANCE WARNING FOR GUYS: There is some rather unpleasant footage of Young trying to insert a urinary catheter that had me counting ceiling tiles for a few minutes. If you can get past that,Body Of War is another feather in your cap for documentary film lovers who are as sick and tired of Bush's war (which will never be won).

This was a movie by war critics for war critics. I say unconvincing because if I were for the war, the majority of this movie would not persuade me in the other direction.Cons: hardly any convincing arguments against the war, timing makes it seem like a "vote Democrat this election" film, sometimes appears as though the protagonist was a tool of the hawks and now is a tool of the doves (rather than his own person).Pros: daily life of a wounded veteran is shown, reminders of the true cost of the war, reminder of the Congressional record and arguments made for/against, the one solid argument is made well by Senator Byrd.